Fanshawe College donates protective equipment to London, Ont. medical community

As efforts continue to slow the rate of contagion by the novel coronavirus, Ontario’s Fanshawe College is donating all of their personal protective equipment to family doctors, nurse practitioners, and administrators in the London area.

They’re answering a call from the London Middlesex Primary Care Alliance, looking for safety equipment for primary caregivers amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Due to a shortage of personal protective equipment, family doctors have not been able to see patients in person.

Health officials say the equipment is essential to prevent transmission of COVID-19 and keep both health care workers and patients safe.

“During this time of social distancing, the Fanshawe community has come together to support our family physicians,” says Pam McLaughlin, dean of the faculty of health, community studies and public safety.

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The college is donating their entire inventory to the alliance, that includes safety glasses, gowns, disinfectant and boxes of latex gloves, as well as scrubs in various sizes.

“The quick response from our Clinical Simulation Unit and College Retail Services will help the physicians who are running out of masks, gowns and gloves needed to protect healthcare providers,” said McLaughlin.

With classes postponed, the School of Health Sciences had extra supplies that would normally be used by students. They donated a cart full of surgical masks, gloves, isolation gowns, and containers of surface wipes.

This is in addition to the ventilators the College loaned London Health Sciences Centre earlier in the week.

The donations come as the Middlesex-London Health Unit reported six new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 11.

The Thames Valley Family Health Team will store the supplies until everything can be re-deployed to those providers’ offices with the most critical need.

Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:

Health officials say the risk is low for Canadians but warn this could change quickly. They caution against all international travel. Returning travellers are asked to self-isolate for 14 days in case they develop symptoms and to prevent spreading the virus to others.

Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.

To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. And if you get sick, stay at home.

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